STEUBENVILLE - On Wednesday, the Franciscan University women's volleyball team lost a 3-2 thriller of a five-set matchup against conference opponent Penn St.-Altoona, in a clash with major postseason implications.

Rejoining her Lady Barons teammates after spending a game on the bench with injury, junior outside hitter looked to get things going early and often against an opponent with a perfect inter-conference record. Ciola, together with sophomore outside hitter Meghan Bayer and senior team captain Monica Rigaud, contributed kills that provided a close score in the early portions of the first set.

After a five-point run provided Penn St.-Altoona with a 10-5 first set lead, the Lady Barons battled their way back into the competition, adding several kills from sophomore Maddie Raffa to Altoona errors, for the 18-15 lead. 

Despite several Penn St.-Altoona advances, the Lady Barons maintained a lead through the completion of the first set, taking the exchange after a Ciola kill and an opponent attack error.

Penn St.-Altoona seemed intent upon maximizing upon front row hitting, and the results showed in droves, as the visiting team amassed a dominant 14-6 lead. Kills from Bayer and stellar freshman Sydney Riley wasn't enough for the Lady Barons down the stretch, in a set characterized by miscues in communication. An Altoona kill closed the set and leveled the competition at one set apiece.

Franciscan began the third set eager to reassert conference superiority, and back-to-back kills from Ciola worked well toward that end. Freshman outside hitter Anna Telepak routinely found points via several dominant kills up the line and helped the Lady Barons to open up an 18-15 lead. Several lengthy rallies went Franciscan's way as the third set reached its latter stages before another Ciola kill gave the Lady Barons two set points. They didn't waste the opportunity, forcing a Penn St.-Altoona attack error to assume a 2-1 sets lead. 

The fourth set found a renewed Lady Barons squad eager to maintain conference play perfection. Three kills from Ciola and more Telepak dominance allowed for a 12-5 set lead and smart play from Riley down the stretch threatened to put the set away. At the right time, Altoona caught fire, returning serve flawlessly and delivering several decisive kills of their own. Altoona took the lead 16-14, before a well-timed timeout from Head Coach Kelly Hermann helped to halt the run.

Altoona would reach 20-15 before the Lady Barons would answer, behind timely kills from Ciola and Telepak. Franciscan would roll to a 24-22 lead, allowing them two match points. However, back-to-back errors from Raffa and untimely inconsistencies would allow for several high-intensity rallies to go Altoona's way. The visiting Lions would take the next four points, and the fourth set, to force a decisive fifth.

In an abbreviated fifth set played only to 15, it was Altoona who struck first, jumping out to a 9-5 lead after things were tight early. Down the stretch, excellent play from Ciola and Riley would bring the Lady Barons within two points of their conference counterparts, though ultimately, Altoona pulled away for the 15-10 win.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, Hermann remained optimistic on the season, especially given the solid play from Ciola and Riley. The Lady Barons next take to Hank Kuzma Court on Saturday, September 30, in another conference matchup against Pitt.-Bradford. That game is set to begin at 1 p.m.